We employ a lot of students in our day to day process here at the Technology Commercialization office. Law students, CSE student software developers, Fisher Business school students, mechanical engineering, bio sciences, the list goes on and on. Over time you get to know these students, they help us craft stories, assist in marketing materials, ip analysis, patent pathway finding, business validation, software development. They’re less students to me and more family here under the roof and halls of south campus gateway. Fresh, young minds who think differently by design, in their DNA is the future… dude Dan that sounds epic. But kinda is. I mean these people are standing at the very start of their journey, they find their path, the start at least and get started, soon they will be getting married, having a family and well go onward and some day they’ll be you, working away, building/doing stuff.
I’m not used to them graduating. Its not that I don’t want them to graduate. Its just the feeling you get, like this season is over and these folks gotta move on Dan, let them go. Their career paths are always interesting to me. Some get a job long before they graduate, which is kinda unheard of to me, but makes sense, especially the CSE students who can code. There is just a war and hunt for developer talent these days, these students have full time jobs lined up as soon as junior year, some of them talented enough to start their own IBM, can we give them a hand? Heh. Watching them go, is like, i dunno.. bitter sweet. I look forward to them getting more experience, breaking out the wings and flying, go do awesome stuff. But its like losing someone every season, thats unique about this gig.
Now the nice thing is that new blood arrives, new folks come in the door, don’t know anything about the world of TCO and we say, welcome to the hotel of intellectual property.. you can out any time you like, but you can never leave.. at least not without a license, decent royalty rate, and slap us some equity man!